A funny thing happened to Marc Crawford on the way to coaching oblivion.
A special kid named Auston Matthews came along.
Now, Crawford’s name is very much back in the headlines. Encouraging for a fellow who owns a Stanley Cup ring but hasn’t been in the NHL since 2011. Now in his fourth year coaching Zurich in the Swiss national league, the hockey gods have bestowed upon Crawford the chance to coach the 18-year-old Matthews, the likely No. 1 pick in next summer’s NHL draft.
“Some people are saying Matthews could be the best player ever to come out of USA Hockey,” said Jeremy Roenick yesterday in Buffalo at the All-American Prospects Game.
“Better than me, better than Modano. That’s saying something. And it’s his hockey mind that separates him.”
A unique set of circumstances landed the Arizona born-and-raised Matthews in Crawford’s lap, and like a veteran race car driver handed the most powerful engine on the track, the 54-year-old Crawford is pumped to show he can still steer this player with precision.
“Yes, I can help him. I’ve been in this spot a number of times,” said Crawford in a telephone interview from his three-bedroom Zurich apartment. “I had Owen Nolan in junior. Then there were the Sedins, Anze Kopitar, Jamie Benn. I’ve seen what those players had to learn. Auston doesn’t know everything yet. He knows that. He’s got the right attitude. He wants to be liked for the right reasons. He wants to learn the right way.
“He looks like a prototypical No. 1 centre. He’s got that package.”
While many of Matthews’ teammates from last year’s U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan were preparing for the U.S. prospects game in Buffalo, Matthews was getting ready for his fourth game in a Zurich jersey on Friday night against cross-town rival Kloten. He’s scored two goals in two Swiss league games and played in a Champions League game in Prague earlier this week where he was, according to Crawford, the team’s best player.
“This has been the biggest hockey story I’ve seen in my three years here,” said Crawford. “It’s been even a little bigger than when pros came over during the lockout.
“The fact Auston came to Switzerland, people have had their eyes opened. They see now this is a pretty good league.”
Saturday, he’ll journey to Bern to play in the Swiss league’s largest arena which holds 17,000 fans. It’s a very different hockey challenge than Matthews would have had playing for the Everett Silvertips in the WHL, or in the NCAA.
“He’s one of the few players his age that could be successful here,” said Crawford. “To me, he’s like (Vincent) Lecavalier and (Eric) Lindros were at that age. He’s clearly better than the junior level, and he needed a bigger challenge.”
Zurich won the Swiss league two years ago under Crawford, and lost in the final last year. They draw an average of about 9,300 fans per game, second in the league to Bern, and weren’t exactly starving for a gate attraction. They saw in Matthews a quality player who could fill one of their four import positions and make an impact.
The opportunity for Zurich to make this unprecedented acquisition came after the world under-18 tourney on Swiss soil last spring. The tournament was in Zug, a good hockey town, and Matthews and his parents got to see first hand the kind of life he would get in Switzerland.
At the same time, Crawford and other Zurich officials had the chance to watch him play and see if he was ready to play against men.
“My assessment was he’s the real deal,” said Crawford. “In the end, it was about recruiting. We had to sell our program. My expertise helped, because I’ve seen these kinds of players before. There will be an adjustment period, but ultimately, he’ll be great.”
The other Zurich imports are former NHLers Ryan Shannon and Marc-Andre Bergeron, as well as one-time Saskatoon Blade Ryan Keller, who managed to get into six NHL games with the Ottawa Senators but mostly spent his career in the minors or in Europe. Import players usually earn on average about 700,000 Swiss francs per year.
Swiss nationals Pius Suter and Phil Baltisberger, both of whom played on the Guelph Storm squad that went to the Memorial Cup final two years ago, are on the Zurich roster, as is Fabrice Herzog, a Toronto draft pick taken 142nd overall last June, and Jonas Siegenthaler, a Washington blue-line prospect selected 57th.
“(Matthews) is great for the league, and great for other young players in our league who should get seen more because scouts will be here looking at Auston,” said Crawford. “He’s got great speed through the neutral zone. When he scored in our second game, his release and shot were overpowering. He really wants the puck. He’s got to improve some of his habits in puck protection and learn to stay positionally strong in the offensive and defensive zones. But he’s got a really good set of skills. Great speed and balance.”
Crawford, meanwhile, attracted some interest from the Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks last summer, but ultimately ended up staying in Zurich while he hopes for another chance at the NHL.
“I don’t wait. I try to make this team the best team I can be,” he said. “I’ve always tried to be the best I can be, and this is very much like going back to my junior days in Cornwall. The younger guys keep you sharper. You’ve got to pay attention to details.
“I’m confident in my abilities. I also understand what this is, too. It’s an opportunity for everybody involved.”
The “this” he referred to is, of course, the chance to coach a potential superstar like Matthews. If the young man arrives in the NHL next season ready to soar, it will be a positive reflection on Crawford.
Bob Hartley made it back. So did Paul Maurice. Now Crawford bides his time, focusing on the chance to coach a player who some estimate will be every bit as good as Connor McDavid.
NHL scouts and executives will be beating a steady path to Crawford’s door this winter to see the next big thing. He’s in hockey oblivion no more.
